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Monday, 28 March 2016

Jane was busy doing a blog tour to find some inspiration from a fellow blogger. She had done such tours before, but always failed in finding a blog that was similar to her niche- a creative blog. And when she would succeed in doing so, the blog author would be on a hiatus or would've shifted from the blogosphere.However, that day turned out to be her lucky day! She stumbled upon something really unique- an igloo on a beach! Her blog's lucidity and breathtaking photographs got Jane hooked to it.Jane instantly felt connected to its author and decided to initiate a chat with its owner; a trendy eskimo named Alaska.Now any visitor of such a beautiful site would've found the owner easy to talk to and fairly approachable and Jane also concluded the same. After a few months of discovering that same blog, Jane attempted to strike a conversation with Alaska on of her blog posts.Alaska seemed natural, but somewhere Jane felt that that she wasn't that interested in speaking to her. Or maybe her trait of not being able to make friends came in the way of an almost blossoming friendship. Jane didn't give up though. She still continued being her genuine self and made efforts to come in her notice.Alaska would text her once in awhile and then disappear into her shell. She would say she's busy, but deep down Jane felt that maybe she wasn't worthy enough to be a friend to Alaska.This exchange of messages went on for about ten months, and on one particular day their talks didn't seem to end. It went on and on, and much to Jane's surprise, Alaska gave her email address, so they could contact more frequently and conveniently. At that moment, Jane felt delighted that someone had put enough faith in her to give away such details.Alaska was young and full of life, and some of her positivity rubbed off on her. It made Jane realise that someone younger could definitely be wiser, and provide one with a valuable lesson of life.Their path of friendship sought quite a few phases like keeping in touch, building trust and eventually confiding in each other. They came across nearly every possible topic to discuss on, and even now they don't run out of any!With just a matter of time and a sincere struggle to create a bond, Jane had finally located her Alaska.

Monday, 14 March 2016

They do not know, what it isTo be inked down by heavenEspecially in typewriter font,Be romanticised alongsideNovels, logs and even more novels,In a ridiculously fragile binding,That has been marred by an iron grillTainted with tea stainsAnd yellowed by an overdose of spring.Our words may be missing,Our insides may be stuck,Our edges may be cutBut,We never miscommunicateWe overcome those hindrancesWe don't let a page number define our togetherness.They call our papery pages

Grey, gray and boring

When they are just a wilted roseThat travels through each chapterWithout grasping anything,Or,

Wednesday, 9 March 2016

"I...I...ran away. I am lost, betrayed," she said peeping over the lady's shoulder, "and hungry." Waliyha fumbled as she started her explanation, but then blurted the rest out in a rush. After a few minutes, she realised that she had given away her dignity along with her story. The woman in front of her, in spite of being old and poor now had the power to label her.However, when the lady grabbed her into a hug, every nerve of her brain remained perplexed. She took Waliyha inside and treated her as if she was her own child. She served her with whatever she had and made sure that she drank the whole glass of water.Being from a small household, the lady had to seek permission from her man to let Waliyha stay in their house for some time. The man didn't show any trace of objection, but when Waliyha stated that her parents had strong connections, the couple got a little worried, for the whole matter would definitely involve the police. And at the back of her mind, even Waliyha knew that her plan would have backfired and the police would be on the lookout for her.Waliyha felt guilty seeing them tensed, and out of that guilt constructed another lie. She gave them a false address, and without questioning her much, they dropped her off there, not knowing that Waliyha was leading herself up the garden path!Waliyha looked on, as the couple proceeded towards their home, and as soon as they were out of sight, she took an about turn, and made herself get lost in the town. She walked in circles, trying to find herself in all that chaos. Just then, a taxi driver pulled in front of her, assuming that she needed a ride. At first, she thought of asking him to drop her at the sea, but then she changed her mind by reviving some hope. By now the bunch of cash had turned into a few noisy coins. So, she asked him the directions to the nearest PCO.He didn't pick up.'Well that was obvious,' She tried to reason with herself.As she continued to walk, she felt someone follow her. She felt it was just her imagination, but when she felt a tap on her shoulder she began weeping, as a result of her reflexes going all haywire. She turned around and saw that it was a boy, but it wasn't him."You've run away from home, right?" He asked exactly what was obvious to him."What's it to you? Mind your own business!" Waliyha rebuked at him.He didn't take her bitter words too seriously, and said, "I have some work for you."Waliyha looked up with a spark in her eye, but swiftly looked down, realising his intentions.She ran from that spot, and found herself in front of a school. She begged the guard to let her in.He noted that she was about to pass out, and then agreed to keep her in. He took her to the servant's quarter, gave her a glass of water and an apple that he had bought for himself, and told her that the principal would come and talk to her in a few minutes.Later, a lady entered that room, leaving Waliyha surprised. It was her aunt, and only her aunt who had come to pick her up. She presumed that her parents had disowned her.Waliyha and her aunt both cried a puddle of tears as they gazed at each other.Her aunt accompanied her till her doorway, and then let her face the consequences by herself. Waliyha stared at her parent's feet, while walking in with baby steps. But her dad ran towards her and held her in his arms, without speaking a word. Her mother also burst out in tears, with a billion emotions filling her heart.They didn't question her, but the police had to do their duty. They began their interrogation, but Waliyha didn't have the heart to get the boy in trouble, even after knowing that she had been blamed for the whole matter. What bothered her was his motives. She just wanted an answer as to why he did what he did. But she couldn't, as now her phone was being tracked every moment.Today, all her parents want from her is that she should be able to stand on her feet, with her head held high.A random stranger's door had opened for her, the door she had locked, still welcomed her with open arms, and moreover, she had unlocked the door of her parent's hearts.

THE END*This was based on a true story. Names and other information were altered for privacy reasons.

Thursday, 3 March 2016

Waliyha waited, waited and simply waited. She was certain that he would come to receive her. But, what toggled with her mind was the fact that her mother would panic on not finding her and would subsequently begin searching for her.Her brain was quick to come up with a plan to stop that from happening. She fished out a pen from her bag while clutching onto her mobile with her free hand and then shoved her bag behind the bushes, taking care to make it as undetectable as possible. Then, she sprinted through several dark alleys that happened to be a shortcut to her home. Her mother was still oblivious of her whereabouts, as the lights were still off. The only thing that surprised her was her Dad's car parked in the driveway. Maybe he had arrived just to go back to another foreign trip. She swiftly bolted the door, and then looked around for a scrap of paper. Once she found a doable piece, she scribbled down a message that read out her not wanting to be found or contacted.She took a long sigh, tossed the note through the window of the dining area and made a beeline for the park. She kept a slow pace while going back, as her mind was at ease. In fact she was so relaxed that when she reached, her upper lashes fell gently over lower ones, lulling her to sleep. Her body was exhausted from all the inner commotion, but felt light like a feather. Soon enough, Waliyha was in a dream world, full of flowers, meadows and hearts.Meanwhile, Waliyha's mother got a typical womanly intuition that something was wrong. She got off her bed, and proceeded to check on her daughter for a change.Little did she know that this move of hers would have a negative outcome. Waliyha's absence shattered her completely. Her heart sunk, and so did the lower part of her body. She covered her mouth with her hands, trying to control a vomit of tears. Panicking wasn't the solution, and it took Waliyha's mother quite a few minutes to realise that. She alerted Waliyha's father about the same. Contrary to her reaction, Waliyha's father chose to maintain his calm. He thought she would have been at a friend's place. But then his eyes caught the crumpled up note left by Waliyha. He tried his best to keep his calm even at this point and look for solutions. However, when they headed to do the needful, they realised that they had been locked in.It was five in the morning, when Waliyha's parents had received some help. At the same time, the morning rays stroke Waliyha's cheeks and she woke up only to find no sign of the boy. She checked her phone again and again, even though it wasn't on silent mode. Her battery was dying and so were her hopes for a happier and better future. But she still continued to dial his number, while walking towards nowhere. She had no idea where she was going. Her legs were shaking, but she still stuck to the path of being lost, till a bus had come to her rescue. She requested the driver to drop her at a chapel, where she could stay safely. The driver agreed very kindly, and drove her down in a matter of few minutes. Several people ogled at her as she entered the home of God.Now that Waliyha's parents were free, they began searching for her in nearby places, but failed miserably. They then decided to report this matter in the police station. They tried to trace her sim, and instantly got suspicious of the number that was dialled repeatedly. The police officials called him up and interrogated him about the matter. But, he denied even knowing her! And when they threatened him further, he finally revealed everything, except for the truth. His version of the story turned Waliyha into the culprit.The assigned policemen had managed to find a social media profile of Waliyha, and before they could gain access to her account, the boy crept into it and deleted every possible evidence.Just as Waliyha had made peace with her safe zone, the caretakers of the chapel asked her to leave as they had to clean the place. Waliyha moved at once, thinking that if she didn't they would inform the police. Her eyes were shielded with tears, as she walked towards a playground that was being used by a bunch of carefree children. Returning home wasn't an option for her, as she felt that her parents would never forgive her, and staying outside meant a struggle for survival.She perched on the stairway and noticed an old lady cleaning her front yard. Waliyha held her stomach, wishing that her hunger and thirst would miraculously disappear. She walked up to the lady and asked her for a glass of water. The lady stared at Waliyha and then her suitcase alternatively with a look of scepticism."Who are you? And what are you doing here?!" She questioned Waliyha sternly. Waliyha was tensed. For a moment she forgot who she was and what was going on with her. The woman preserved her firm look while a thousand and one thoughts crossed Waliyha's mind.She gulped down the little saliva that circulated around her mouth, and finally uttered, "I..."